Face-centered-cubic to hexagonal-close-packed transformation in nanocrystalline Ni(Si) by mechanical alloying

An allotropic transition from face-centered-cubic (fcc) to hexagonal-close-packed (hcp) Ni(Si) solid solution in Ni95Si5 and Ni90Si10 during nanocrystallization by mechanical alloying is reported. The transformation was identified as a defect-induced melting accompanied by a volume expansion of 8.6% and was observed when fee Ni(Si) reached a critical crystallite size of 10 nm. Calculation based on equation of state showed that a 37% reduction in tetragonal shear modulus and a negative pressure of about 8.7 GPa were generated at the onset of transformation.